The Year of the Bible, Revised

An Enhanced Guide to Reading Scripture Together

Newly revised, this ever-popular, comprehensive Bible-reading program for group study and individuals offers a sweeping introduction to biblical themes, persons, and concepts. Complete with a detailed reading schedule for every day of one year, The Year of the Bible leads participants to a better understanding of Scripture and a greater sense of community within the church.

Newcomers to Scripture and longtime Bible readers alike will find their Christian faith enhanced and feel a sense of accomplishment from reading the Bible in its entirety.

“The Year of the Bible by Dr. James Davison is the best resource I know for guiding a congregation in the discipline of reading and studying the Bible. I am sure individuals and congregations that undertake such a discipline will receive a multitude of blessings.”

—Donald L. Griggs, Christian educator and author of The Bible from Scratchseries

About the Author:James E. Davison is the director of continuing education and an adjunct professor in Greek language and exegesis at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He has served as associate pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania, and holds degrees in theology and history from Westminster College, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, the Free University of Amsterdam, and the University of Iowa. In addition to The Year of the Bible, Davison has written a number of books and articles on theology and the New Testament. Read a letter from the author.

“Atheism” in the New Testament?

Here’s a trivia question you can use sometime. Where is the word “atheist” used in the New Testament? If you don’t know, don’t be surprised. It’s not going to show up in English. When you read Ephesians 2:11-22, you’ll read about the unity that Gentiles and Jews share through their faith in Jesus Christ. Previously, they were separate, as verse 12 tells the Gentile Christians: “you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (vs. 12).

Notice the phrase, “without God.” That is literally “a-theos.” As you can see, it’s the word from which our term “atheist” is derived. We use the term “atheist” to speak of someone who denies the existence of God, and a group called the “New Atheists” has been making a splash in recent years shouting that viewpoint from the housetops. In my view, their attacks against religion haven’t been very fair, but that’s a topic for another time. Suffice it to say that down through history some other, very serious, people have questioned the existence of the gods…or God. Those of us who believe need to take their criticisms seriously and consider whether we need to cleanse the dross off some of our ideas and practices in light of their critiques. Continue reading